OFR-39 17.05
Start: 06:15 Finish: 17:53
Total km., for day: 242,5
Camped at: N47.124241° E26.050341°
Good long deep kip, must have needed it.
Had a good long chat with a Dutch couple who were there as well, they were really interested in the van and took down all the details of Campmobil in Schwerin.
On the road late, 10:10 and worked my way slowly down to where I’d found the charcoal burners on my way through. No luck the “Kilns” were all cut-up and broken-down.
I went as far up the valley as the terrain and prudence allowed and found this spot, back off the single track dirt road under some trees. Nice spot.
Fair bit of fieldworker traffic until about 21:30 then I had the world to myself again.
OFR-40 18.05
Start: 06:45 Finish: 14:15
Total km., for day: 198,3
Camped at: N47.05126° E24.62645°
At about 01:00 in the morning a whole bunch of cats started in on some nuptials making an horrendous din until I banged on the van roof like crazy and this decided them to move the festivities someplace else. After that peace settled in again and the rest of the night was peaceful. Black as pitch though.
At about 07:00 just after breakfast chores done a shepherd and his rather large herd swamped me on their way to pastures new, He had seven or eight dogs with him and boy are they big animals, Not at all like our good old Welsh Collie. Great deep throaty dark brown voices they have as well. Nice and friendly though.
On my way out past the charcoal burning location a great bunch of burly chaps were manhandling the shells back together for welding up again. All got me beat.
Headed out on the way properly at 08:00 towards Toplita, on the way checked out an old village by the name of Borsec, worth looking up when I get a chance, was really interesting.
I then tried to go up through a place called Bibor but this opened out into a big flat agricultrified (my word) valley which left me cold so in went back out again. Not long after that I turned N onto a very tempting looking road (track), which went straight up (N) turned (W) before going back down (S) in a great loop which would have brought me back to where I was headed. After a kilometre or so there was a big notice board with lots of info about the route. This included, seriously, all of the Emergency Services phone numbers, including Mountain Rescue and the probable response times. That combined with the fact that the mountains the track head towards were slowly disappearing in thick black storm clouds made an honest chappie out of me. Convinced me I’d had enough of dodgy routes for this trip and put me back on the B-Road.
Finally finished up in the hills though ‘cos that was the way my road took me, just tuned into dirt on the way. Great camp right up top with 360 degree panoramas, wow.
Later on all of the black threatening clouds, complete with their contained thunder and lightning arrived to go off right over me. I was high enough to be right in amongst them so it was pretty loud for awhile.
OFR-41 19.05
Start: 05:45 Finish: 15:10
Total km., for day: 211,5
Camped at: N47.60110° E24.892247°
The route I had chosen turned out to be a disaster. First off it was all dirt road, they were doing major, seriously major, work on it. So much so that in places only half of what was already a narrow way was out of bounds with great drops into excavations and invariable blocked by earth moving or concrete mixer trucks. Needless to say they had priority and the storm I mentioned last night had made it pretty much a quagmire. Combine that with the aggressive drivers here and chaos was pre-programmed.
Had to stop twice and all the other drivers in the queue had to dismount and buckle down to get the next pillock up front who'd got himself bogged down trying to push past large bits of construction equipment.
Long story short it took four hours ten minutes to do 106 kilometres which was the first chance to get off the route. I did!
After that it was easy going on tar which as is frequently the case here ran out and the bit that goes over the mountain turns back to dirt. Was a sign, which of course I cannot read properly, which seems to indicate that after 50 k’s it was closed. I kept going with a lump in my throat in the hope that this would not turn out to be the case. Would have meant over 150 k’s detour to turn around and get back on track. Luck was with me and a great sigh of relief escaped the van as I hit tar agin.
Finally camped up here where I had been on the 23.04. Great camp all by myself. I even plucked up the courage to get in the stream for a good wash. Bloody cold.
OFR-42 20.05
Start: 05:30 Finish: 16:06
Total km., for day: 247,9
Camped at: N47.77438° E23.95814°
Woke at 05;30 but then dozed off again until 07:00. Away again by 08:50 and had a great run with a couple of heart in mouth occasions but not worth boring anyone with.
I popped out in an area I’d been in with Radu right at the beginning of the trip. I’d come up and over a mountain track and there I was in the village where I took the photographs of the “legal” distillery and the lovely old girl with bright red rimmed eyes.
It’s not far from there that I found this spot to camp, maybe six kilometres. All out of the way and quiet.
OFR-43 21.05
Start: 05:15 Finish: 14:00
Total km., for day: 188,2
Camped at: N47.66080° E23.67545°
Up early and on the road by 06:50. Nice easy run through ground already covered right at the beginning of the trip. Pleasant and relaxing and I’m back at the place where I met up with Radu.
Caught up on notes and will post. I hope!
As I’ve spent almost all of my time here in Romania I’ve given up on the CZ part, instead, because I shall be back on German soil a few days earlier than planned I shall try out the place I’ve been noticing on a few trips in the area of approximately Paderborn where there is a very large Windfarm which I’m sure will offer up some image possibilities. If it does I shall post them.
Tomorrow be a straight eight hour bash without what had become the standard stop on the Polish/Slovakian boarder, or close to it., N47.66091° E23.67543°. Buggers have started to build an Hotel on the ground behind the Roadhouse and the river where I usually set up shop.Then day after through to Görlitz, Dresden and after that hopefully wind farm. Back in Düsseldorf on 30.05 baring the unforeseen.
Will post a conclusion on my whole experience in this great country when I’m back in my armchair.
Start: 06:15 Finish: 17:53
Total km., for day: 242,5
Camped at: N47.124241° E26.050341°
Good long deep kip, must have needed it.
Had a good long chat with a Dutch couple who were there as well, they were really interested in the van and took down all the details of Campmobil in Schwerin.
On the road late, 10:10 and worked my way slowly down to where I’d found the charcoal burners on my way through. No luck the “Kilns” were all cut-up and broken-down.
I went as far up the valley as the terrain and prudence allowed and found this spot, back off the single track dirt road under some trees. Nice spot.
Fair bit of fieldworker traffic until about 21:30 then I had the world to myself again.
OFR-40 18.05
Start: 06:45 Finish: 14:15
Total km., for day: 198,3
Camped at: N47.05126° E24.62645°
At about 01:00 in the morning a whole bunch of cats started in on some nuptials making an horrendous din until I banged on the van roof like crazy and this decided them to move the festivities someplace else. After that peace settled in again and the rest of the night was peaceful. Black as pitch though.
At about 07:00 just after breakfast chores done a shepherd and his rather large herd swamped me on their way to pastures new, He had seven or eight dogs with him and boy are they big animals, Not at all like our good old Welsh Collie. Great deep throaty dark brown voices they have as well. Nice and friendly though.
On my way out past the charcoal burning location a great bunch of burly chaps were manhandling the shells back together for welding up again. All got me beat.
Headed out on the way properly at 08:00 towards Toplita, on the way checked out an old village by the name of Borsec, worth looking up when I get a chance, was really interesting.
I then tried to go up through a place called Bibor but this opened out into a big flat agricultrified (my word) valley which left me cold so in went back out again. Not long after that I turned N onto a very tempting looking road (track), which went straight up (N) turned (W) before going back down (S) in a great loop which would have brought me back to where I was headed. After a kilometre or so there was a big notice board with lots of info about the route. This included, seriously, all of the Emergency Services phone numbers, including Mountain Rescue and the probable response times. That combined with the fact that the mountains the track head towards were slowly disappearing in thick black storm clouds made an honest chappie out of me. Convinced me I’d had enough of dodgy routes for this trip and put me back on the B-Road.
Finally finished up in the hills though ‘cos that was the way my road took me, just tuned into dirt on the way. Great camp right up top with 360 degree panoramas, wow.
Later on all of the black threatening clouds, complete with their contained thunder and lightning arrived to go off right over me. I was high enough to be right in amongst them so it was pretty loud for awhile.
OFR-41 19.05
Start: 05:45 Finish: 15:10
Total km., for day: 211,5
Camped at: N47.60110° E24.892247°
The route I had chosen turned out to be a disaster. First off it was all dirt road, they were doing major, seriously major, work on it. So much so that in places only half of what was already a narrow way was out of bounds with great drops into excavations and invariable blocked by earth moving or concrete mixer trucks. Needless to say they had priority and the storm I mentioned last night had made it pretty much a quagmire. Combine that with the aggressive drivers here and chaos was pre-programmed.
Had to stop twice and all the other drivers in the queue had to dismount and buckle down to get the next pillock up front who'd got himself bogged down trying to push past large bits of construction equipment.
Long story short it took four hours ten minutes to do 106 kilometres which was the first chance to get off the route. I did!
After that it was easy going on tar which as is frequently the case here ran out and the bit that goes over the mountain turns back to dirt. Was a sign, which of course I cannot read properly, which seems to indicate that after 50 k’s it was closed. I kept going with a lump in my throat in the hope that this would not turn out to be the case. Would have meant over 150 k’s detour to turn around and get back on track. Luck was with me and a great sigh of relief escaped the van as I hit tar agin.
Finally camped up here where I had been on the 23.04. Great camp all by myself. I even plucked up the courage to get in the stream for a good wash. Bloody cold.
OFR-42 20.05
Start: 05:30 Finish: 16:06
Total km., for day: 247,9
Camped at: N47.77438° E23.95814°
Woke at 05;30 but then dozed off again until 07:00. Away again by 08:50 and had a great run with a couple of heart in mouth occasions but not worth boring anyone with.
I popped out in an area I’d been in with Radu right at the beginning of the trip. I’d come up and over a mountain track and there I was in the village where I took the photographs of the “legal” distillery and the lovely old girl with bright red rimmed eyes.
It’s not far from there that I found this spot to camp, maybe six kilometres. All out of the way and quiet.
OFR-43 21.05
Start: 05:15 Finish: 14:00
Total km., for day: 188,2
Camped at: N47.66080° E23.67545°
Up early and on the road by 06:50. Nice easy run through ground already covered right at the beginning of the trip. Pleasant and relaxing and I’m back at the place where I met up with Radu.
Caught up on notes and will post. I hope!
As I’ve spent almost all of my time here in Romania I’ve given up on the CZ part, instead, because I shall be back on German soil a few days earlier than planned I shall try out the place I’ve been noticing on a few trips in the area of approximately Paderborn where there is a very large Windfarm which I’m sure will offer up some image possibilities. If it does I shall post them.
Tomorrow be a straight eight hour bash without what had become the standard stop on the Polish/Slovakian boarder, or close to it., N47.66091° E23.67543°. Buggers have started to build an Hotel on the ground behind the Roadhouse and the river where I usually set up shop.Then day after through to Görlitz, Dresden and after that hopefully wind farm. Back in Düsseldorf on 30.05 baring the unforeseen.
Will post a conclusion on my whole experience in this great country when I’m back in my armchair.